Tagged: New York Yankees

If you are a fan of the New York Yankees, how are you not excited today? The team came from behind to defeat the crosstown rival New York Mets last night by a score of 6-5. If that isn’t enough, you wake up this morning knowing that general manager Brian Cashman has, in a span of a week, taken a farm system that was average to above average depending on the source, to one that is now the envy around baseball. Yes, boys and girls perhaps the rest of the 2016 season won’t bring much joy to the fanbase. However, this organization is now nicely set up for next year and beyond, assuming at least some of the prospects in the talent-rich system pan out.

Courtesy espn.com

To those who insisted that Cashman and company were foolish in trading off four veterans to retool and rebuild, I say embrace the change. This team is .500 and has played that way for the majority of the season. There was no magic potion that was going to turn them into this powerhouse contender. If you get swept by the Tampa Bay Rays (no offense, Rays’ fans) in a series late in the season and look really bad doing it, you are probably not ready to survive the heat of a pennant race. Still, even with the trades, this isn’t a terrible team. The return of Tyler Clippard gives Dellin Betances a legitimate setup man in front of him. While the current relievers obviously can’t match the departed Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, they will have nights like last night, when they tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings. No Carlos Beltran makes a below average unit worse but that just leaves more opportunities for Ben Gamel and whoever else they decide to bring up in four weeks.

Think about all of the talent the Yankees acquired. Then pair them up with guys they have drafted and signed on their own, players like Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Jorge Mateo and James Kaprielian. These guys are can’t miss-type prospects. Clint Frazier and Gleyber Torres are now ahead of them in the organizational rankings. Frazier is already at AAA and figures to be in New York in 2017, while the same can be said of Judge. Sanchez has already seen Major League time while Mateo, Torres and Kaprielian are still a ways away. If you are old enough to remember, isn’t this how the most recent dynasty was built in the early 1990’s? You know, the “Core Four” that everyone seems to wax nostalgic about these days? Surely, those early-to mid-90’s teams had their share of veterans like Don Mattingly and Paul O’Neill, the latter acquired in a trade prior to the 1992 season. They also supplemented their youth brigade with the signing of players such as Wade Boggs and Jimmy Key and taking the final steps by trading for a David Cone or a John Wetteland. But it was the “Core Four” along with Bernie Williams that sustained the Yankees for such a long time. That’s what prospects do. They contribute by becoming a player for you or for someone else. In the offseason, if they so desire, the Yanks can attempt to package some of these high-end prospects for Chris Sale or a player of his caliber. Even if that type of deal is made, their farm system will still have some big-time players ready in the wings.

The only people who should be disappointed are the players still on the Yankees this year. Guys like Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez who may not be here next year and who will most likely not get a shot at the playoffs in their final year in Pinstripes. As for the others that were traded, think of it as an opportunity for them. The only thing that has eluded Beltran is a World Series title. He gets that shot in Texas; he wasn’t going to, barring some miracle, in New York. As a fan, did you have any special affinity for Chapman? Ivan Nova gets a new life in Pittsburgh. The one that hurts is Miller because he was popular in the clubhouse and he is under contract for the next two seasons. However, that was potentially the biggest return out of the four trades. It’s one that had to be made in order for the Yankees to take the next step forward. It’s all the more reason why as you go about your day today, you feel great as a fan of the New York Yankees.

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To say that the participants of the Subway Series are stumbling is an understatement. The New York Yankees, who looked primed for a playoff chase at this time last week, have dropped four games in a row, including a sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays. The New York Mets just went 2-5 against the St. Louis Cardinals and Colorado Rockies at home and the injuries continue to mount with shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera the latest to get hit. The bottom line is as the calender turns to August (August!) both the Mets and Yankees face a difficult path to postseason baseball with some arguing the Yankees have already given up that hope with the trades of Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller.

Before I continue, I need to digress. I liked it much better when the Subway Series was played over the course of two months, three weekend games in Citi Field in say, June with three weekend games at Yankee Stadium in July. They just felt different and more important split up that way as opposed to the current format of four total games, two in each ballpark, all in one week. In my opinion, the meetings between the two teams have lost some luster. But that’s just me.

Courtesy: nbcnewyork

The opener at Citi Field on Monday has C.C. Sabathia pitching against Logan Verrett. The Yanks wouldn’t mind if they were able to deal a third pitcher out of town but with the the big lefty’s contract situation, any trade would result in the Yanks’ taking on a hefty portion of his contract. He was solid in his last outing, allowing two runs in 6 2/3 innings against the Houston Astros. Meanwhile, Verrett has had some good outing for a #5 starter allowing seven earned runs in his last 19 1/3 innings, a span covering three starts. On Tuesday, it is a battle of aces as Masahiro Tanaka opposes Jacob deGrom. Tanaka is 7-3 with a 3.19 ERA and perhaps most importantly, is on pace to start 30 games for the first time in Pinstripes. deGrom continues to get no run support, “earning” a no-decision in his last time out despite throwing seven shutout innings. He is 6-5 with a 2.65 ERA. ‘

On Wednesday, the two teams hook up in the Bronx with Steven Matz scheduled to face Ivan Nova. I use the term “scheduled” as Nova’s name has popped up in trade discussions as he is set to become a free agent at season’s end. He also did not endear himself to Yankee management with his semi-meltdown during Friday night’s loss in Tampa. Nova is 7-6 with a 4.90 ERA. Matz’s season line of 8-7 with a 3.35 ERA is excellent; however, he has really struggled since being diagnosed with bone chips. The lefty is 1-4 with a 4.43 ERA over his last seven outings. In the finale on Thursday, it will be Bartolo Colon to face Nathan Eovaldi. The Mets tried using Colon on three days rest and it worked for three innings on Saturday before two errors doomed him to defeat. Still, Big Bart has been tremendous, tied for the team lead in wins with nine to go along with a 3.58 ERA in 22 outings. Eovaldi’s name has also come up in trade rumors, namely with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The hard-throwing righty is 9-7 with a 4.78 ERA, numbers that earned him a brief bullpen demotion in July. He hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs since his return to the rotation but he has also not pitched seven full innings during that time, either.

Both teams employ feeble offenses. They rank in the bottom portion of Major League Baseball in runs scored, batting average and on-base percentage. The Mets are ninth in home runs but are 19th in slugging percentage and dead last in batting average. I don’t need to tell you how awful they are with runners in scoring position. The Yanks are 28th in slugging, ahead of only the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves. The Yanks are 23rd in OBP while the Mets are 24th. Come Monday night, the Yankees could be without their best offensive player as Carlos Beltran‘s name continues to swirl in the trade winds. The best Met offensive player, Yoenis Cespedes, has been slowed by a quad injury. All of these dreadful statistics can mean only one thing for the 2016 edition of the Subway Series: lots of runs will be scored over the next four games.

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A week that started out with so promise for the New York Yankees went down in a hurry. They won their first three games of the week to inch them closer to a playoff berth. Despite trading Aroldis Chapman on Monday, the Yanks proceeded to win their first two games in Houston against the Astros, one of the teams they are chasing. Then they lost the finale on Wednesday before seeming to be lifeless on Friday night against the last place Tampa Bay Rays, losing their second straight game. Saturday was not any better as they once again could not solve Drew Smyly and dropped a 6-3 decision. One guy that had a pretty good set of games was Chase Headley, this week’s Yankees’ Player of the Week.

Courtesy: nypost.com

The Yankees’ third baseman put together a solid week at the dish and made some nice plays at the hot corner. When his team needed a big performance on Monday against Yankee-killer Dallas Keuchel, Headley delivered. He went 2 for 3 and was involved in both New York runs in a 2-1 victory. His fifth inning single tied the game at 1 and he led off the eighth inning with another base knock. He came all the way around to score on Austin Romine‘s double to give the Yanks an important win. The following night, his 2nd inning single gave the Bombers a 2-1 edge, a lead the team would not surrender on the way to a 6-3 victory. He also plated another run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning to make it a 3-1 margin. He was one of the only bright spots in Friday’s debacle, with two hits in four at-bats as the Yanks lost their second straight by a score of 5-1. On Saturday, he reached base three times, scoring on Brett Gardner‘s two-run home run and adding a solo shot of his own but New York lost for the third consecutive game. Headley is in a groove but his team is in a funk.

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The New York Yankees just missed out on sweeping the Houston Astros, one of the teams they are chasing in the playoff hunt, dropping the finale by a score 0f 4-1. After a day off, they continue on this six game road trip with three contests with the Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa also was off on Thursday, having just completed a nine game, three city road trip out west, finishing with a mark of 4-5. The Rays are now 39-61 and in last place in the American League East. They were having a respectable season up until they dropped 22 out of 25 games leading into the All-Star Break. Now, the only talk surrounding them is who are they going to part with at the trading deadline? The Yanks have taken 4 of 6 so far from them this year.

Courtesy: sportsonearth

Stat third baseman Evan Longoria, the subject of rumors linking him with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is having a tremendous season. He leads the Rays in just about every offensive category including home runs with 23, which is eighth in all of baseball, along with .340 on-base percentage. Shortstop Brad Miller is having a nice offensive season with 15 home runs and he owns eight hits in last 25 at-bats. Could we be witnessing the final series of Steve Pearce in a Tampa uniform? The veteran has some value as a guy playing multiple positions and is having a solid campaign with a .312 batting average and a .384 OBP in 224 plate appearances. Outfielder Corey Dickerson, acquired in an offseason deal with the Colorado Rockies for reliever Jake McGee, has 14 home runs and has eight hits in his last 28 at-bats. The bottom line is the Rays do have some power as they are tied for tenth in home runs but rank near the bottom in OBP and runs scored.

Right-hander Jake Odorizzi gets the ball in the opener and will oppose Ivan Nova. Odorizzi has been linked with several teams, as have most of Tampa’s starters to teams such as the Texas Rangers. He is 4-5 with a 4.10 ERA in 21 starts with his last one a dominant performance. The 26-year old Odorizzi shut out the Oakland A’s over eight innings but took a no decision when the bullpen blew the lead. On Saturday, Drew Smyly will face Nathan Eovaldi. The 27-year old lefty was one of the prizes when David Price was traded to the Detroit Tigers but he has struggled to the tune of a 2-11 record and a 5.42 ERA in 2016. However, one of those wins was at Yankee Stadium, a game I attended, as he held the Yanks to one run over seven innings in an 8-1 Rays’ victory. The finale will have Tampa’s prized youngster Blake Snell facing Michael Pineda, the guy who was Smyly’s opponent back in April. The 22-year old lefty is 2-4 with a 3.05 ERA in his first eight Major League starts. Over his last 18 2/3 innings, a span covering three starts, Snell has allowed only four earned runs. He is the only Rays’ starting pitcher who hasn’t come up in trade talks as his team won’t be doing any buying this year.

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The farm system of the New York Yankees just got a little more crowded. The trade of Aroldis Chapman brought back Adam Warren plus three Minor League players, including two of the top five prospects from the Chicago Cubs. For more information on the three players, Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney and Rashad Crawford, click on my post found here. Crawford and Torres will be heading for Class A Tampa while McKinney will be playing for the Double A Trenton Thunder.

Now, let’s take a look at some more happenings down on the farm.

Courtesy: lohud.com

One of Torres’ and Crawford’s teammate at Tampa will be right-handed pitcher Domingo Acevedo. The 6-foot-7, 190 pound Acevedo got the call up from Class A Charleston in the middle of June. His overall numbers are outstanding tempered by the fact he is still adjusting to a higher level. In 15 starts this season, the 22-year old Acevedo has thrown a total of 82 2/3 innings, striking out 92 while walking only 18. For Tampa, he has made seven starts and has registered a respectable 3.60 ERA, striking out 45 batters in 40 innings. His best outing came on June 27th when he threw seven shutout innings, allowing only five hits and no walks while fanning six. In his next start, Acevedo whiffed a season-high 12 batters over six innings of two-run ball. Ranked as the team’s #9 prospect, he was signed by the organization from the Dominican Republic in 2012.

One spot above Acevedo in the organizational rankings is center fielder Dustin Fowler who plays for Trenton. The team’s 18th round selection in 2013 from West Laurens High School in Dexter, Georgia, the 21-year old Fowler leads the Thunder in several offensive categories including RBI’s, doubles and hits. His 108 hits places him third and his 55 RBI’s and 23 doubles ranks him eighth among all Eastern League hitters. Fowler has 13 hits in his last 39 at-bats, good for a .333 average. He also can run with 30 stolen bases in 2015 and 19 so far this season. The left-handed hitter makes solid contact but does not really walk. In 385 at-bats in 2016, Fowler has received only 17 free passes. However, as long has he can continue to stroke, a lack of walks will not be an issue.

The Pulaski Yankees of the Rookie League Appalachian League have gotten off to a slow start. They are 15-17 and in last place but 4 1/2 games out of first in the league’s East division. Pulaski is the current home of Blake Rutherford, the Yanks’ first round pick this year. The 19-year old outfielder is off to a nice start, batting .310 and owns 13 hits in his last 38 at-bats. As a team, Pulaksi is struggling with a league-worst .246 batting average and a .329 on-base percentage that ranks eighth in the ten team league. However, the Yankees are showing some pop with a collective 27 home runs, third most in the league. On the mound, the numbers are slightly better. The pitching staff is seventh in ERA at 4.62 and WHIP (Walks plus Hits per Innings Pitched) at 1.39 and their 237 strikeouts are good for seventh.

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No Runs DMC is no more for the New York Yankees. On Monday, the Yanks finally pulled the trigger on a deal that sent one of their Big Three relievers to a new location as Aroldis Chapman was sent to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for four players, one of whom is already a familiar face in New York. Reactions on Twitter indicate that Yanks’ general manager Brian Cashman made an outstanding move in securing four players, including two top prospects for a player who is a free agent at the end of the year. Let’s take a look at each of the players that were traded for Chapman, the four the Yanks sent to the Cincinnati Reds and the four obtained by the Bombers from the Cubs.

Courtesy: nydailynews

New York to Cincinnati

Rookie Davis: This 23-year old right-handed pitcher was the Yanks’ 14th round selection in the 2011 Draft out of Dixon High School in Holly Ridge, North Carolina. His highest level in their farm system was Double A which he reached last year, making six appearances. While with Double A Pensacola in 2016, Davis is 8-3 with a 2.68 ERA in 16 starts. He has good control but is not a high strikeout guy. In 84 innings, Davis has allowed only 22 walks while fanning out 48. Numbers like that indicate a promotion to Triple A should be forthcoming.

Eric Jagielo: New York used its first round selection in 2013 on the Notre Dame product who played his amateur career at third base. The 24-year old Jagielo showed some pop in the system with 18 home runs in two different levels of A ball in 2014. The lefty swinger was off to a great start last season for Double A Trenton, with nine home runs, a .284 batting average and a .347 on-base percentage, resulting in a selection to the Eastern League All-Star Game. However, knee surgery ended his season early and the carryover has shown up in Pensacola. He is hitting only .218 with a .308 OBP in 309 plate appearances.

Tony Renda: The 25-year old second baseman was originally taken by the Washington Nationals in the second round of the 2012 Draft out of Cal University. He came to the Yankees’ organization in June 2015 when the Bombers sent reliever David Carpenter to Washington. Renda received a total of 304 plate appearances for Trenton hitting .270 with a .328 OBP for the Thunder. This year, the right-handed hitter has advanced to Triple A Louisville and has received 79 plate appearances there after starting 2016 in Pensacola. He was hitting .326 with a .369 OBP at the time of his promotion.

Caleb Cotham: The 28-year old right-hander pitched in 12 games for the Yankees in 2015, giving up seven runs on 14 hits in 9 2/3 innings. He was the Yanks’ fifth round selection in the 2009 Draft out of Vanderbilt and bounced around between starting and relieving during his time in the organization before settling into the bullpen before the 2015 season. Cotham has appeared 23 games for the Reds this year giving up 32 hits and 12 walks in 24 1/3 innings, posting a 7.40 ERA. However, it was a tale of two seasons in those 23 games. He had a 1.34 ERA in his first 11 games but a 12.79 ERA in his last 12. Cotham has been on the disabled list since the end of May with shoulder inflammation.

Chicago to New York

Gleyber Torres: The 19-year old shortstop is said to be the centerpiece of the deal sending Chapman to the Cubs. MLB.com rated him as Chicago’s #1 prospect, #24 overall. He was signed for $1.7 million dollars as an International free agent out of Venezuela in 2103. At age 18, the righ-handed hitting Torres batted .287 with a .346 OBP, driving in 64 runs and stealing 22 bases. This season for Myrtle Beach of the Carolina League, he has 35 extra-base hits and 62 runs scored in 356 at-bats. He has also stolen 19 bases and possesses a .359 OBP, hitting .275. Torres will head to Tampa of the Florida State League.

Billy McKinney: He was the first round pick of the Oakland A’s in the 2013 Draft from Plano West High School in Plano, Texas and came to the Cubs in the blockbuster deadline deal along with Addison Russell for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel. The 21-year old outfielder is ranked #5 in the Cubs’ organization and #75 of the Top 100 prospects by mlb.com. The left-handed hitter has been playing at Double A Tennessee after being promoted there last season. This year, he is hitting .252 with a .355 OBP with 37 runs scored and 31 RBI’s. McKinney will now head to Trenton where he will most likely finish out the 2016 season.

Adam Warren: In essence, the Yankees traded Warren for himself while also acquiring Starlin Castro. It hasn’t been the best of seasons for the 28-year old right-hander as he sports a 5.91 ERA in 29 games. He was recently sent to Triple A Iowa when the Cubs activated Joe Nathan from the 60-day disabled list. Warren was sent down also to be stretched out in anticipation of the Cubs going to a six-man rotation. It is unclear what role he will have in New York but he figures to work out of the bullpen because of Chapman’s departure.

Rashad Crawford: He was Chicago’s 11th round selection in the 2012 Draft from Mundy Mills High School in Clayton, Georgia. Crawford, a 22-year old outfielder, collected 84 hits, good for a ,255 batting average and a .327 OBP at Myrtle Beach. The left-handed hitter also has some speed with 22 stolen bases in 28 attempts. He also has slugged eight triples, which was tied for first in the Carolina League. Upon being obtained by the organization, Crawford’s next stop is Tampa.

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The last time the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros met, it was a cold three days in New York to open the season. The Yanks took two out of three games and after that both teams proceeded to have tough Aprils. However, while the Yankees can’t seem to put together any kind of sustained momentum with a 50-48 record, Houston has emerged as one of the hottest teams in baseball. They have managed to crawl out of their horrific 7-17 start to their present ten games over .500 at 54-44. They are only 2 1/2 games out first place in the American League West and a half game behind the second Wild Card spot. The Yanks and Astros now meet for three games at Minute Maid Park.

Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

In order for the Yankees to prevail in this series, they need to contain Most Valuable Player candidate Jose Altuve. Houston’s second baseman leads all of Major League Baseball with a .360 batting average, a .426 in-base percentage and 136 hits. His double play partner, shortstop Carlos Correa, is having an outstanding sophomore campaign. He leads the club in RBI’s with 64 and also has 15 home runs. Right fielder George Springer is tops in long balls with 21 and is third in runs driven in with 59. On the flip side, outfielder Colby Rasmus is hitless in his last 26 at-bats. Re-enforcements are on the way for the Astros. Top infield prospect Alex Bregman, the second overall pick in the 2015 Draft and MLB.com’s #18 prospect, has been called up to the big club and will be in the lineup Monday night. Also, the Astros landed the latest star Cuban import, third baseman Yulieski Gourriel with a 5-year, $77.5 million dollar contract. He has been assigned to Houston’s Rookie League squad but the organization expects him to be in the Majors before the end of the season.

Monday night’s starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel is a Yankee killer but he has endured a terrible 2016 season. The lefty is 6-9 with a 4.70 ERA and will oppose Michael Pineda. Doug Fister has been Houston’s most consistent starting pitcher and he will get the ball on Tuesday, opposing C.C. Sabathia. Fister is 10-6 on the year with a 3.42 ERA and is tops among qualified rotation members in just about every important category. Wendesday’s starter is Lance McCullers, Jr. who was dominant in his last outing. He shut the Los Angeles Angels over eight innings, striking out ten. McCullers has 90 strikeouts in only 70 1/3 innings along with a 3.33 ERA. The ‘Stros have had a revolving door in the closer role. Ken Giles, whom the team obtained for a steep price from the Philadelphia Phillies, flopped in Spring Training and was replaced by Luke Gregerson, the team’s stopper last year. At the beginning of June, Gregerson struggled and was replaced by Will Harris whose dominant first half was rewarded with an All-Star selection. The 32-year old Harris has struck out 42 batters in 41 innings and has walked six while allowing just one home run.

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In a week full of games in which the New York Yankees needed to make a statement, it was Starlin Castro that made the biggest impact of all. He posted nine hits in 26 at-bats as the Yanks took three of four from the first place Baltimore Orioles and split the first two contests against the San Francisco Giants. He also helped the Bombers hold off what would have been a brutal three game sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox.

Courtesy: nj.com

It started last Sunday as New York dropped the first two games coming out of the All-Star Break against the Sox. On Sunday, Castro went 2 for 4 and accounted for two of his club’s three runs as the Yanks avoided the sweep with a 3-1 victory. His fifth inning double tied the game and he scored the go-ahead run in the same frame on Austin Romine‘s single. On Monday, Castro singled in three at-bats as New York took the opening game from the Orioles by a score of 2-1. The following evening was his big game of the week as his two-run home run in the first inning put the Yankees on the board and his two-run double in the eighth inning gave them a big 5-1 lead on the way to a 7-1 win. After going 0-3 the follow day in which the Bombers win their fourth straight game, Castro provided the only highlight with an RBI single as the Yanks failed to complete the sweep of the Birds. Against Madison Bumgarner and the Giants Friday night, the second baseman went 3 for 4 and drove in the first run of the game in a 3-2 Yankee victory. Saturday was a rough day for Castro, who went 0 for 5 and the Bombers’ offense as they dropped a 2-1 decision in 12 innings to San Francisco.

The Yankees posted a 5-2 record over the last seven games in order to remain on the fringes of playoff contention. This was in large part to Starlin Castro, subwaybaseball’s Yankees Player of the Week.

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It appears that for the second straight season that the New York Yankees will not be buyers at the trading deadline. They last made significant upgrades in 2014 when they acquired Brandon McCarthy, Martin Prado and Chase Headley in an attempt to send Derek Jeter into retirement with one final October moment. The Yanks ultimately fell short that year before rebounding to make the Wild Card game last season. It is a strange predicament for the Bombers as they are usually looking to upgrade for an annual playoff push. One of their most successful deadline (or in this case, an early deadline) acquisitions came in the year 2000, also known as the year I got married, when they obtained David Justice.

Courtesy: nytimes

The 2000 Yankees were gunning for their third consecutive World Series Championship and toward the end of June they were in second place in the American League, three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays. This was uncommon occurrence since they were on cruise control in the division the prior two seasons. So, on June 29th (a special day indeed…..my birthday), New York swung a deal with the Cleveland Indians, acquiring the power-hitting Justice who had already hit 21 home runs. In return, the Indians received 1998 World Series hero Ricky Ledee, right-handed pitcher Zach Day and fellow righty Jake Westbrook, who would win 105 games in the Majors. The Bombers got hot, building a nine game lead by September 13th before stumbling down the stretch and eking out the division crown. Meanwhile, Justice clubbed 20 home runs in 318 plate appearances, finishing with a career-night 41. However, the best was still to come for the veteran slugger.

After producing four hits in 21 plate appearances in the five game divisional series vs. the Oakland A’s, Justice had only six hits in 28 plate appearances in the six game American League Championship Series vs. the Seattle Mariners. However, four of those six hits went for extra bases including two home runs. In fact, it was his seventh inning, three run-blast that put the Yankees ahead for good, propelling them to another World Series appearance while Justice was named the ALCS Most Valuable Player. The Yanks, of course, would go on to capture their third consecutive World Championship, a five game victory over the New York Mets.

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Despite the New York Yankees’ current four-game winning streak, most observers feel that the club should begin exploring trade possibilities. In fact, there are reports the Yanks have spoken to a couple of teams about potential deals with nothing especially serious developing. The most desirable Yankee commodities of course are the three powerful arms in the bullpen: Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller. With an abundance of relievers and bullpen arms at a premium at this time of the year, general manager Brian Cashman has the luxury of letting teams bid against each other to get what he wants. Here are four teams that have been mentioned as possible trading partners, all of whom feel that one of these players can catapult them to a World Series.

Courtesy espn.com

Chicago Cubs: This is the team that has been mentioned the most with power-hitting Kyle Schwarber being the price tag for either Chapman or Miller. Chicago President Theo Epstein has indicated that Schwarber is off-limits but that could be just posturing. Surely, he wouldn’t surrender him for Chapman, who would be no more than a rental but a package with either Miller or Betances as the centerpiece would be awfully tempting. However, a trade just went down that could cool any talk of a Yanks-Cubs swap. The Cubbies acquired left-handed reliever Mike Montgomery from the Seattle Mariners for two Minor Leaguers. Montgomery owns a solid 2.15 ERA in 61 2/3 innings.

Washington Nationals: The Nats are the other team that has been heavily linked as interested in New York’s bullpen. Scouts from the Bombers’ organization were checking in on the Syracuse Chiefs, Washington’s AAA farm club. Though closer Jonathan Papelbon has done a good job with 19 saves and a 2.73 ERA, any of the Yankee relievers would be an upgrade. However, remember the big stink Papelbon made last year about closing upon being traded to Washington? Miller and Betances wouldn’t have a problem setting up but what if the Yanks send Chapman, who insists on closing, to DC? Think of all the fireworks that would erupt in that clubhouse.

Texas Rangers: Texas needs all sorts of pitching help, not just in the bullpen. They have been linked to a bunch of starting pitchers, namely a couple of names in the Tampa Bay Rays’ rotation but they are also interested, like everyone else, in the Yankees. The prize Cashman would seek would be either infielder Jurickson Profar, finally living up his former status as #1 overall prospect after a series of injuries, or current top prospect Joey Gallo. The Rangers lack a true shutdown option and Chapman, Miller or Betances would slide quite nicely into that role.

Cleveland Indians: What do you get the team with arguably the best starting rotation in baseball? A premier relief pitcher to lock down games. With the injury to Yan Gomes, the Tribe’s attention figures to be split between a catcher and the bullpen. It is my opinion that Cleveland will put all their chips into All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy from the Milwaukee Brewers. That means there won’t be enough to pry away Miller or Betances but may be just enough to lure Chapman.

Remember, all of these scenarios are predicated on the fact that the Yankees have given up on 2016. Based on the last four days, the players haven’t.